Die for connecting pipes



b- 1937- c. w. GORDON ET AL 2,069,524

G PIPES Original Filed Aug. 8, 1952 s Sheets$het 1 INVENTORS 0/19/9455 w, qokpa/v, BY 77/om45 E zS/AM/Aff/AM.

ATTORNEY 1 c. w. GORDON ET AL. 2,069,524

DIE FOR CONNECTING PIPES Original Filed Aug. 8, 1 932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 6W LE6 M 40 00. BY W/ J E B/fMl/V4f/AM \ATTORNEY Feb. 2, 1937.

C. W. GORDON ET AL DIE FOR CONNECTING PIPES Original Filed Aug. 8, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNHTED STATES r OFFiCE DIE FOR CONNECTING PIPES Charles W. Gordon and Thomas F. Birmingham, Hammond, Ind., assignors to The Superheater Company, New York, N. Y.

2 Claims.

The present application is a division of United States application 627,874 filed on August 8, 1932. In said prior application is described a locomotive superheater comprising tubular elements extend- 5 ing into the flues of a locomotive from the smokebox end. Each of these elements comprises five tubes, four of which are grouped in a circle around the fifth. These tubes are joined to each other at the end remote from the smoke-box in such a manner that the four outer ones communicate with and can discharge into the central one. The dies described in said former application for the manufacture of this composite return end form the subject matter of the present application.

The invention is described in the following Specification which makes reference to the drawings filed herewith. In these drawings Figs. 1 to 5 are views illustrating the dies for performing the first part of the operation to produce the composite return bend. Figs. 6 to 11 are views of the dies for performing the second step in such manufacture. Figs. 12 to 14 show the dies for a third step in such manufacture. Fig. 15 shows the appearance of the incomplete end after the third step has been performed on it. Figs. 16 and 17 show the appearance after subsequent steps and Figs. 18 and 19 show the dies for finally shaping the return bend.

The finished product of the operations performed by the dies is shown in Fig. 17. Four pipes leii3 (only three showing) are connected by the return bend to the centrally located pipe ll. This structure is produced in several steps. The dies for performing the first of these steps are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. They comprise two portionsthe split outer die 26-20 and the plunger or pin 2!. These tools are used to connect the central pipe H to two diametrically l opposite pipes Iii-10. The two splithalvesZG-ZO are each equipped with two semi-circular depressions 2222 and a larger semi-circular depression 23 between them, the arrangement and sizes of these depressions or grooves being such that when 45 the two halves are properly assembled, there are presented three cylindrical openings of such size as to accommodate the two pipes iii-l0 and the return pipe I. These circular openings are separated from each other by the walls 24-24,

50 which extend inwardly from one end of the die but terminate at points 25-25 spaced from the opposite end of the dies. The absence of the walls 2424 therefore leaves a continuous opening 26 from this opposite die end.

55 The pin or die 2| has a shape closely similar to that of the hollow interior of the die 20-20 except that it is smaller, so that when it is inserted in the die 2t2fi, it will be everywhere spaced from such die by a distance substantially equal to that of the wall thickness of the pipes. This die 2! therefore has a portion 26a, shown in cross section in Fig. 5, adapted to enter the space 26 and three fingers 2211-2200 and 23a, spaced and sized to enter the three openings 22-22 and 23. Suitable mechanism is provided to cause the die H to perform a reciprocating stroke into the die 2!l20.

The pipes, which it is desired to unite, are, after being clamped together and suitably heated, placed in the first half 22 of the female die and the other half is then brought into position and the die 2i caused to perform its stroke. This results in connecting the three pipes into a single open ended piece as will be atonce understood by those familiar with this art. The pipes are during the stroke split along the sides facing each other and the portions adjacent to such slits are bent outward, those ofone pipe abutting forcibly against those of the adjacent pipe and becoming welded to them. It is thought unnecessary to enter into any further explanation of this feature.

To connect the other two pipes Ill-10, dies i1- lustrated in Figs. 6 to- 11 are used. These dies are in a general Way similar to those just described and illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 but differ from them 'in that the female portions have spaces to accommodate the pipes -10 which have been connected to the central pipe ll during the first part of the process, and in the pin having five fingers. These spaces are illustrated at 28 in the half-die shown at 21. When the two halves 2'l2'i are assembled, the partially manufactured piece is located as indicated in Fig. 8. The two pipes l0iil which are to be united to the partially manufactured piece occupy the spaces 2211-2212. These two depressions 22b--22b are closely similar to the depressions 2222 of the first described dies. They are each semi-circular and when the-die-halves are placed together, form circular cavities of the size to accommodate the pipes iii-40. They are sep- Cfl arated from the central space 23b by the walls 1 pears at 30 and around it are grouped the four smaller ones 3I3l. V

A cross section on line Hll shows that the pin at this point has a cross shape. The female die has a closely complementary but somewhat larger interior. v

In the use of this die the partly manufactured unit and the two pipes which are to be con nected-to it are, after being suitably clamped together and heated, placed in position and the two halves of the female die are closed. The pin then performs its reciprocating stroke, it being understood that suitable mechanism for this purpose is provided which may be the same as that used in the first part of the manufacture.

This stroke results in connecting the second pair of the pipes Ill-l0 to the structure. The structure after this step has an open end in the shape of a. cross. At the four extremities of the cross lie the four outer pipes Ill-I0 and at the center lies the pipe II. It remains to close the open end to make the structure a complete functioning one. This closing is performed in two steps, the first of which consists in giving the cross-shaped end a round form and the second of which consists in swaging or drawing this'rounded end downto a closure. A further a step is subsequently performed to finally shape the return bend.

For the first rounding operation a pair of dies shown in FigsIlZ. to14 is employed. The die shown in Fig. 12is made up of two halves. It has suitable recesses to take the pipes Ill-I0 and .has an open circular end 32.

after this operation has been performed, presents ing circular in cross section.

' being'a swaging machine of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,339,054. It will be understood of course, that the piece is suitably heated before this swaging operation is performed. In Fig. 16 the piece is shown partially swaged down to a closure and in Fig. 17. it is shown complete- 1y closed. The swaging hammers are preferably of such shape that a small solid piece 34 results which is subsequently clipped off.

The structure is now closed and. completely operative. It is desirable, however, when the structure is used in some relations, for example in a locomotive flue,to give it a shape offering less obstruction to the flow of thegases through the flue. If left as shown in Fig. 17 there is an unnecessarily large area on the inside of the return bend and an unnecessarily large obstrucparts of the structure back into a cross shape.

The end from which the superfluous material 34 has been clipped is preferably also given a final finish by means of a suitable tool 36.

It will. be clear that variations can be made in the'superheater element described as well as in the tools and method of manufacture without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is: 1 1. In the art of joining pipes together, a set of dies comprising a female member and a male member, the female memberoomprising two identical halves, each half having two parallel spaced semi-cylindrical grooves and a third groove between and parallel to them, the third groove having a semi-cylindrical bottom and substantially parallel fiat sides, the depth of the third groove being substantially equal tohalf the distance between the outer edges of the first two grooves, the middle groove being separated from the other two grooves by Walls extending inwardly from one end of thehalf die to a point'spaced from the other end, the two halves when placed in operative position presenting two cylindrical par-j allel bores and 'a flat transverse space between them and separated 'from them by walls extending inwardly from one endand' terminatingshort I of the other'end, the malemember being generally complementary to the assembled female member but smaller so that when inserted it is every'- 2. A die according to claim 1, the semi-cylindrical grooves and semi-cylindrical bottom being to the'same radius, the separating walls being relieved to accommodate a tube of larger radius.

CHARLES 7W. GORDON. THOMAS F. BIRMINGHAM. 

